Plastic bank cards have firmly entered the modern life of almost every adult Russian. There are a huge number of them, how do they differ from each other and what do we, the users of these cards, need to know about them?

Debit cards

The very first and most important difference between plastic bank cards: they come in debit and credit. Debit cards contain your own funds, but only non-cash ones - salary, pension, alimony, that is, an analogue of ordinary paper money.

Some debit cards come with the ability to borrow money from the bank if your own funds are insufficient. Most often, an overdraft is provided for salary cards, and its size depends on the size of the card holder’s salary. The overdraft amount is usually a percentage of your salary or several salaries.

In addition to the permitted overdraft on the card, a (technical) overdraft may occur when expenses on the card exceed the permissible limit. This can happen with both debit and credit cards.

Credit cards

- This is an analogue of consumer loans. The bank issues a loan for a certain amount, the client pays for his purchases using the card.

Unlike credit and overdraft cards, credit cards have a grace period, usually about 50 days. If you return the money spent to the bank during the grace period, no interest will be charged.

There are several types of bank cards, they differ in the area of ​​application, in the ownership of funds and in purpose. Let's look at each type of bank card in detail.

By area of ​​application:

• Local
• International
• Virtual

Local

Local (intra-bank) cards are intended for transactions strictly within the issuing bank’s system. It can only be used at ATMs and terminals of your bank. ATMs and terminals of other banks do not accept this card. Payment for purchases at retail outlets can also be made only if you have a terminal of this bank, which is quite a rare occurrence. This card does not allow you to make transactions on the Internet, with the exception of transactions on the website of the issuing bank, if it provides such an opportunity.

International

International bank cards are cards of international banking systems. The most popular systems are Visa and MasterCard. Cards of these systems come in several types and differ in their functionality. The most popular of them allow you to make transactions at almost any ATMs and terminals around the world, as well as pay for purchases via the Internet. The vast majority of cards issued by banks are based on these payment systems.

Virtual

Virtual bank cards are cards designed for making transactions exclusively via the Internet. In appearance, they are almost no different from regular debit cards, but they lack a magnetic stripe and a chip, which makes it impossible to use the card at ATMs and terminals. Also, the cardholder does not have the opportunity to receive cash at the cash desk of a bank branch, with the exception of the case of closing the card if there is a positive balance on it. Thus, a virtual card is more like account details presented in the form of a bank card.

By ownership of funds

• Debit
• With overdraft allowed
• Credit
• Prepaid

Debit

A debit (payment) bank card allows you to make transactions within the limits of the funds available in the account. That is, the cardholder can only use his own funds. The bank can set a minimum balance level - a certain amount, upon reaching which the client cannot make transactions until the account balance is replenished. Also, the bank’s terms and conditions may stipulate the accrual of interest on the balance. A debit card serves primarily as a replacement for paper money and also allows you to make payments online. Most cards issued in Russia are debit.

With overdraft allowed

A bank card with an allowed overdraft is an improved debit card, the feature of which is the possibility of exceeding your own funds in the account. Excess of funds is carried out through a loan, which is automatically opened on the card when the amount of the transaction exceeds the positive balance.

The overdraft amount is fixed and is specified in the card opening agreement. Cards with permitted overdraft are often linked to salary project accounts, and therefore the issued loan is repaid automatically when the salary is transferred. Also, automatic payments can be made on the account, despite the lack of funds, which will also be equivalent to a loan.

The loan commission begins to accrue from the moment the personal funds limit is exceeded until the required amount is credited to the account, taking into account the commission. Typically, interest rates for overdraft transactions are higher than for regular loans.

Credit

A credit card is intended for making transactions using borrowed funds. In its properties, a credit card is almost the same as a loan. The main difference is that the funds can be used as needed, and interest is charged only on the amount that is actually used.

Credit cards are reusable, that is, after repaying the borrowed amount, you can use the credit funds again. Moreover, for periods when credit funds are not used and there is no debt on the account, no commissions are charged (except for payment for additional services, for example mobile banking).

The loan amount is set individually for each client and is determined according to the same principles as when applying for a regular loan.

Another feature of a credit card is that it does not require a positive balance. That is, even if a “plus” was formed on the card account when depositing funds, it cannot be used for anything other than repaying the loan after it has been used in subsequent transactions. These funds are written off within the loan repayment period established by the agreement.

Interest rates on credit cards are generally lower than on overdraft cards, but higher than on regular loans.

An important difference between a credit card and a regular loan is the presence of a so-called “grace period” - a certain period during which interest for using credit funds is not accrued. The duration of this period varies depending on the banks, but on average it is 50-60 days.

It should also be remembered that it is beneficial to use credit cards when paying for purchases directly with the card, since most banks charge interest, on average 3-5%, for withdrawing cash from ATMs.

Prepaid

A prepaid bank card is a card on which a certain amount is available at the time of purchase, and payments are made on behalf of the issuing bank. A prepaid card allows you to make purchases or pay for services in the same way as a regular debit card.

The bank that issued the card may impose restrictions on the use of the card, for example:

short validity period of the card, after which it will not be possible to use it or replace it;
impossibility of returning funds if the card is lost or after its expiration date;
lack of ability to withdraw funds;
inability to top up the card account.
If the amount on a prepaid card does not exceed 15,000 rubles, then the bank does not require client identification.

Gift bank cards are a type of prepaid bank card.

By purpose

• Personal
• Salary
• Corporate
• Pre-released

Personal

A personal bank card is issued by the client independently and used by him for personal purposes. Due to the fact that the client gets a card on his own initiative, he, as a rule, does it consciously and strives to ensure that the card most fully satisfies his needs and provides some advantages.

Salary

Salary cards are issued to employees of companies as part of salary projects (an agreement between an enterprise and a bank on transferring wages to cards). The conditions for using salary cards are usually more favorable than when using personal ones. In addition, banks usually greatly simplify the process of applying for a loan for salary card holders, and loan conditions may be preferential.

Depending on the specific organization, you may need to return the card after leaving the company or continue to use it until it expires.

Corporate

Corporate cards are issued for the purpose of making prompt purchases and paying for services by company employees in its interests, for example, paying for restaurants, gas stations, car washes, etc. The funds on the card account belong to the company and are taken into account when calculating own funds. In this regard, all transactions carried out using the card must be confirmed by checks and other documents confirming the intended use of funds.

Pre-released

A pre-issued bank card is a card that is issued before the client writes an application for a card. Such a card initially does not contain information about its owner; it does not indicate the full name. The card is attached to an account that is opened for a specific client. Such a card makes it possible to perform all the same operations as a regular debit card, including using online banking and receiving interest on the balance. However, for security reasons, it is not recommended to use such cards as main ones and store large sums on them, since making payments using them does not require the presentation of documents. In addition, cards may not be accepted for hotel reservations, car rentals, and payments at some online stores.

Pre-issued cards are very convenient when you need to urgently issue a card, because in this case the procedure will take a few minutes. They are also often used by banks to pay interest or to replenish a loan account.

Plastic cards occupy a significant place in the payment system of many industrialized countries. In recent years, various types of plastic cards have begun to be used in Russia.

Plastic card— is a plate of standard sizes (85.6 mm, 53.9 mm, 0.76 mm), made of special plastic resistant to mechanical and thermal influences. From the above it is clear that main function of a plastic card— ensuring the identification of the person using it as a subject.

Classification of bank plastic cards

There are many characteristics by which plastic cards can be classified.

According to the material from which they are made:

• paper (cardboard);
• plastic;
• metal.

Currently, almost everywhere plastic cards have become widespread. However, to identify the cardholder, paper (cardboard) cards sealed in transparent film are often used. These are laminated cards. Lamination is a fairly cheap and easily accessible procedure, and therefore, if a card is used for payments, then in order to increase security against counterfeiting, more advanced and complex technology for making cards from plastic is used. At the same time, unlike metal, plastic can easily be heat treated and pressed (embossed), which is very important for personalizing the card before issuing it to the client.

For general purposes:

• identification;
• informational;
• for financial transactions.

This division is not mutually exclusive. For example, a large company can issue each of its employees a card that:

• is a pass allowing access to certain areas of the enterprise (identification function);
• on the same card any important information about the cardholder can be recorded in encoded form - an information function;
• In addition, such a card can also be used for payments in canteens and stores of a given company - a settlement function.

System using multifunctional cards really exists abroad, and it is obvious that combining many functions in one plastic card is promising, since such a multifunctional card is convenient for the issuer and for the holder.

Based on the calculation mechanism:

• two-way systems- arose on the basis of bilateral agreements between payment participants, in which cardholders can use them to purchase goods in closed networks controlled by the card issuer (department stores, gas stations, etc.);
• multilateral systems— provide cardholders with the opportunity to buy goods on credit from various merchants and service organizations that recognize these cards as a means of payment. Multilateral systems are led by national bank card associations, as well as travel and entertainment card companies (for example, American Express).

By type of calculations performed:

• credit cards, which are associated with opening a line of credit at a bank, which allows the owner to use credit when purchasing goods and when receiving cash loans. A special card account is opened for the owner of a credit card and a credit limit is set on the loan account for the entire validity period of the card and a one-time limit on the amount of one purchase; within the one-time limit, payment for a purchase can be made without authorization;
• debit cards are intended for receiving cash from ATMs or for paying for goods via electronic terminals. The money is debited from the cardholder's bank account. Debit cards do not allow you to pay for purchases if there is no money in your account.

Some authors place payment cards in a special category as a type of credit card. The difference is that the total amount of debt when using a payment card must be repaid in full within a certain time after receiving the statement without the right to extend the loan.

By category of clientele targeted by the issuer:

• regular cards;
• silver cards;
• gold cards.

Regular cards are intended for the average client. These are Visa Classic, Eurocard / MasterCard Mass (Standard).

Rice. 14. Visa Classic and Eurocard/MasterCard Mass

Silver card (Silver, Business) is called a business card and is intended for individuals, employees of companies authorized to spend funds of their company within certain limits.

Rice. 15. Visa Business and Eurocard/MasterCard Business

The Gold card is intended for the most affluent wealthy clients.

Rice. 16. Visa Gold and Eurocard/MasterCard Gold

The VISA and Europay systems have cards that can only be used at ATMs to receive cash and in electronic terminals: Visa Electron, Cirrus/Maestro. They are valid within the account balance; as a rule, the card holder is not provided with credit, and therefore they can be issued to any client, regardless of his level of security or credit history.

By nature of use:

• individual card, issued to individual bank clients, can be standard or gold;
• family card, issued to family members of the person who entered into the contract who is responsible for the account;
• corporate card issued to a legal entity; on the basis of this card, individual cards can be issued to selected individuals (managers, chief accountant or valuable employees). They open personal accounts “linked” to a corporate card account. The organization, not the individual corporate card holders, is responsible to the bank for a corporate account.

Rice. 17. Cirrus/Maestro and Visa Electron

By affiliation with the issuing institution:

• bank cards issued by a bank or consortium of banks;
• commercial cards issued by non-financial institutions: commercial firms or a group of commercial firms;
• cards issued by organizations whose activities directly include the issuance of plastic cards and the creation of infrastructure for their maintenance.

By area of ​​use:

• universal cards are used to pay for any goods and services;
• private commercial cards are used to pay for a specific service (for example, cards of hotel chains, gas stations, supermarkets).

By territorial affiliation:

• international, valid in most countries;
• national, operating within a state;
• local, used in part of the territory of the state;
• cards valid in one specific institution.

By time of use:

• limited to any time period (sometimes with the right of extension);
• unlimited (perpetual).

According to the method of recording information on the card:

• graphic recording;
• embossing;
• barcoding;
• magnetic stripe coding;
• laser recording (optical cards).

The earliest and simplest form of recording information on a card was and remains graphic image. It is still used in all cards, including the most technologically sophisticated ones. At first, only the surname, name of the card holder and information about its issuer were printed on the card. Later, a sample signature was provided on universal bank cards, and the last name and first name began to be embossed (mechanically extruded).

Embossing— putting data on the card in the form of relief signs. This made it possible to process a card payment transaction much faster by imprinting a slip on it. Information embossed on the card is instantly transferred to the slip. The method of transferring information embossed on the card is mechanical pressure. Embossing has not completely replaced the graphic image.

Barcoding— recording information on a card using barcoding was used before the invention of the magnetic stripe and was not widespread in payment systems. Cards with barcodes similar to those found on products are quite popular in special card programs where payments are not required. This is due to the relatively low cost of such cards and reading equipment. At the same time, for better protection, barcodes are coated with a layer that is opaque to the naked eye and read in infrared light.

Magnetic cards have the same appearance as ordinary plastic cards, only on the back of the card there is a magnetic stripe, and a photograph of the holder and a sample of his signature are also possible.

See further:

It is clear that the magnetic stripe no longer provides the necessary level of information protection from fraud and forgery. Experts began to look for a more reliable way to record information. It turned out to be chip(from the English chip - crystal with an integrated circuit) or microcircuit. Cards with a chip are also often called smart cards.

See further:

In 1981, J. Drexler invented optical card. Optical memory cards have a larger capacity than memory cards, but data can only be written to them once. Such cards use WORM technology (write once, read many times). Recording and reading information from such a card is carried out by special equipment using a laser (hence the other name - laser card). The technology used in the cards is similar to that used in laser discs. The main advantage of such cards is the ability to store large amounts of information. Such cards have not yet become widespread in banking technologies due to the high cost of both the cards themselves and the reading equipment.

Details and means of protecting international bank cards

			EUROCARD/MasterCard		SBERBANK – MAESTRO
	Old design	New design	Old design	New design	Old design	New design
Front side
Payment system logo (emblem)	In the upper right or lower right corners is a three-color rectangle consisting of horizontal stripes of blue, white and yellow with the word VISA in blue on the white stripe. Along the perimeter of the logo there is microtext containing the first four digits of the card number and the code of the issuing bank (can consist of letters and numbers)		EUROPAY INTERNATIONAL: A stylized letter E with a red tongue instead of the middle element and the inscription EUROCARD below it, enclosed in an oval. Truncated version: only the inscription EUROCARD INTERNATIONAL: two intersecting circles in red and yellow with MasterCard written in white on top of the circles		In the lower right corner under the hologram there is the Maestro logo in the form of two intersecting circles in blue and red with the inscription Maestro made in white paint
Hologram	On the right side of the card in the center is a three-dimensional mirror image of a flying dove. When you turn the card from right to left, the left wing of the pigeon increases, the right wing decreases (the pigeon flaps its wings)		Against the background of horizontal lines containing the word MasterCard, made in microtext, three-dimensional images of the hemispheres of the globe, on which, when the map is rotated, the grid of parallels and meridians changes to the outlines of the continents	Two intersecting flat circles with three-dimensional images of moving continents against a background of horizontal lines containing the word MasterCard. The outlines of the circles are made with microtext containing repeating MasterCard symbols	Three-dimensional image of the logo of the Security Council of the Russian Federation with the inscription Sberbank of Russia in white on top of it against the background of alternating horizontal lines consisting of the inscriptions Sberbank of Russia and Sberbank
Issuing bank logo	on the top of the card in the right or left corners is the inscription SBERBANK in black printing ink				In the upper right corner of the card there is the inscription SBEBANK OF RUSSIA in black printing ink
Number	Starts with a number 4, divided into 4 groups, consists of 16 digits (4-4-4-4) or 13 (4-3-3-3) with the last group of digits on the hologram		Starts with the number 5, divided into 4 groups, consists of 16 numbers (4-4-4-4) with the last group of numbers on the hologram		Consists of 18 digits divided into 2 groups (810 digits) with the last 4 on the hologram
Date information actions	The start date and end date of the possible use of the card are embossed in the month/year or month/day/year format (10/02 or 10/15/02)				Only the expiration date is embossed in month/year format (12/02)
Information about the bank that issued the card	On VISA (Classic, Cold), Sberbank-Maestro cards, 8 or 9 digits are embossed in the format XXXXYYYYY (XXXX is the branch number, YYYYY is the branch number). This line is missing on VISA Business, Eurocard/MasterCard Business cards
Holder details	The first and last names of the card holder are embossed (it is possible to apply the personal data of two persons) in Latin font. On corporate cards the name of the organization can be embossed in Latin letters.				The card holder's first and last name are embossed (IVAN PETROV)
Microprinting	In the logo frame, the first four digits are the card numbers and the issuing bank code (from numbers and letters)		On the bottom layer of the hologram in the horizontal lines is the word MasterCard	MC is repeated in the contours of the hologram circles	No
Four digit number	Printed with indelible ink in a contrasting color above or below the 1st group of digits of the card number. The printed numbers must completely match the 1st group of numbers of the embossed card number		It is printed with indelible ink that contrasts with the color of the card under the first digits of the embossed card number and completely matches the first four digits of the card number		No
Image in UVL	In the center of the card is an image of a flying dove, blue-violet (for SB RF cards) or pink.		At the bottom of the card are the letters M and C: M - in the left corner and through the gap in the middle - C		No
Special symbols	For the card expiration date: The symbol V (flying V) is embossed, having a non-standard format slanted to the right, with limited upper cuts directed to the left; Pairs of letters CV, PV, BV are embossed; Printed C, P, B + embossed V		Behind the expiration date of the card there is an embossed sign (floating M) consisting of elements of the letters M and C		No
Reverse side
Panel for sample cardholder signature	A white stripe filled with diagonal lines with the word VISA in blue/blue (for cards from third-party issuing banks). When trying to forge a sample signature, spaces appear	A strip of white color filled with diagonal lines with the word VISA in light blue/blue and gold colors and a 19-digit number printed in a special font slanted to the left, which includes the 16 digits of the card number and 3 digit security code. When you try to forge a sample signature, spaces appear. The word void appears in spaces - invalid	A strip of white color filled with diagonal lines with the word MasterCard or MC in red, blue and yellow colors and a 19-digit number printed in a special font slanted to the left, which includes the 16 digits of the card number and 3 digit security code. When you try to forge a sample signature, spaces appear. The word void appears in the files - invalid	A white strip filled with diagonal lines with the word MasterCard or MC in red, blue/cyan and yellow and a 7-digit number in the center of the panel, printed in a special font with a slant to the left, which includes the last four digits of the card number and 3 digits of the code security. When you try to forge a sample signature, spaces appear. The word void appears in spaces - invalid	A white stripe filled with repeating zigzag lines and SAFESIG inscriptions. If you try to forge a cardholder's signature sample, the lines and inscriptions are erased
Magnetic strip	A black or dark brown magnetic strip soldered into plastic containing information about the cardholder, his account number, bank and additional electronically encoded data

What is a bank card? This is a modern payment instrument, without which it is impossible to imagine the financial system. A small piece of plastic with a chip, magnetic stripe and the owner's initials as a key provides access to the account. With its help, you can withdraw cash, top up your account, make transfers, pay for services, control your balance, save money and increase your savings.

A plastic bank card lives in almost every Russian wallet, and often not in a single copy. Only some people use all the cards at once really out of necessity, while others keep them “just in case”, “left over from an old job”, etc. In order for your cards to be useful to you, you need to know at least a little about their purpose and types.

Types of bank cards

There are a lot of criteria and characteristics by which bank cards can be classified:

• By account type: credit or debit.
• By payment system name: Visa, MasterCard (Maestro), MIR.
• By tariff and Co-branding: “Social”, “Aeroflot”, M-Video bonus, etc.
• By class: the lowest lines in the economy segment are occupied by Visa Electron and Maestro cards from Mastercard, and at the top of the list are platinum and premium cards.
• By type of protection and information content: chipped, with magnetic stripe.
• By personalization: personalized and Noname.
• Based on the principle of material media: virtual or real.
• By the name of the issuing bank (the bank that issued the card).

Credit and debit cards

A debit card is an account for storing your own funds: receiving salaries, replenishing them for the purpose of making payments, savings. A debit account cannot have a negative balance (except for services).

A credit card gives access to the bank's money, limited to a certain limit: this is an account that may have a negative balance. The credit card has a renewable limit: once you apply for it, you won’t have to think about it for 3-5 years. Banks attract customers with additional amenities in the form of a grace period and interest on positive balances.

Any card has its own service tariff, which depends on the list of connected services, account type and issuing bank. According to the tariff, the client pays the bank for servicing the card - from 0 to 15,000 rubles per year. Free service is typical for low-class debit cards and cards issued at special rates. The highest price will have to be paid for a premium segment card, stuffed with insurance and additional services.

Tariff and Co-branding

Certain tariffs and cards issued jointly with another company have become particularly widespread and popular. For example, almost everyone has a free “Social” card from Sberbank or, as it is also called, “a card with daisies”: children’s benefits, pensions, compensations, and scholarships are issued on it.

Those who save up for a vacation and fly quite often opt for cards from famous airlines: for example, Aeroflot.

Many also use cards that simultaneously serve as bonus and debit cards: for example, Tinkoff Aliexpress, M-video Bonus from Alfa Bank, Malina card, etc.

Payment system type

The vast majority of bank cards use payments through Visa or MasterCard processing centers. However, Russia has recently had its own, designed to replace foreign analogues.

If you plan to use the card only in Russia, it does not matter which payment system you prefer. You will only feel it when making payments in countries with a different currency.

Card class

• Lowest class – VisaElectron, MasterCardMaestro (characteristically inexpensive service, minimal set of incoming services);
• Middle class – VisaClassic, MasterCardStandard (optimal range of services, affordable service price);
• Highest class - silver Silver, gold Gold, platinum Platinum (cards for status clients with a wide range of services and relatively expensive maintenance);
• Premium class - black Premium cards (highest level - for wealthy clients: maximum range of services, expensive card content).

The maximum daily limit for transactions and cash withdrawals also depends on the card class. Don’t be surprised if you can’t withdraw a large amount from an ATM from Maestro or Electron: for such cards the daily limit is limited to 15-50 thousand.

Type of protection and information content

Customer data is recorded on a built-in chip or magnetic stripe. A card can have both resources at the same time. The chip protects information better: if you simply swipe a magnetic stripe across the terminal to pay for a purchase, then when using a chip card you will need to enter a PIN code.

New generation cards are equipped with PayPass technology – “one-touch payment”.

Personalization

It is customary to see your first and last name in Latin transcription on the map - this is evidence of a name card. But you often find empty cards with the inscription Noname or Cartholder: this is specially issued plastic for the client’s account - such cards were invented for this purpose. So that the client can immediately use banking services. As a rule, a nameless card is issued for the period while the bank issues full-fledged plastic.

Material carrier

You don't have to have a piece of plastic in your hands to make calculations. If you mainly buy online, a virtual card is suitable for you. Most often, it is opened in order to secure funds on the main card and not reveal its data in unverified online stores.

Issuer bank

It is more common for users to distinguish cards by the name of the bank that issued it: “Sberbank”, “Alfabank”, “VTB”, etc. The name of the bank does not characterize the card in any way, but nevertheless this type of classification is used among the people.